On This Day

Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, is named President of the Board of Trade.

Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, (24 February 1733 – 30 June 1800) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1783 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Sydney.

Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, (24 February 1733 – 30 June 1800) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1783 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Sydney. He held several important Cabinet posts in the second half of the 18th century. The cities of Sydney in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Sydney in New South Wales, Australia were named in his honour, in 1785 and 1788, respectively.

Historical Significance

Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, (24 February 1733 – 30 June 1800) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1783 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Sydney.

Events Before

  1. Future US Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall (27) weds Mary Willis Ambler (16) at his cousin's home in Han

    Future US Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall (27) weds Mary Willis Ambler (16) at his cousin's home in Hanover County, Virginia, until her death in 1831

  2. USS Alliance, under Captain Barry, fights and wins the final naval battle of the American Revolutionary War off Cape Can

    USS Alliance, under Captain Barry, fights and wins the final naval battle of the American Revolutionary War off Cape Canaveral

  3. In an emotional speech in Newburgh, New York, George Washington asks his officers not to support the Newburgh Conspiracy

    In an emotional speech in Newburgh, New York, George Washington asks his officers not to support the Newburgh Conspiracy, preventing the threatened coup d'état

  4. Hostilities formally cease in the American Revolutionary War after the Continental Congress proclaims the "Cessation of

    Hostilities formally cease in the American Revolutionary War after the Continental Congress proclaims the "Cessation of Arms" against His Britannic Majesty [1]

  5. George Washington issues General Orders announcing the end of hostilities with Britain in the American Revolutionary War

    George Washington issues General Orders announcing the end of hostilities with Britain in the American Revolutionary War, giving thanks to the Almighty, offering congratulations, and authorizing an extra ration of alcohol to the troops to celebrate [1]

Events After

  1. John Walter publishes the first issue of his newspaper "The Daily Universal Register," which is renamed "The Times" of L

    John Walter publishes the first issue of his newspaper "The Daily Universal Register," which is renamed "The Times" of London in 1788

  2. The parents of the poet Lord Byron marry - Captain John Byron and his second wife Catherine Gordon, heiress of the Gight

    The parents of the poet Lord Byron marry - Captain John Byron and his second wife Catherine Gordon, heiress of the Gight estate in Scotland

  3. Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals

    Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals

  4. Geologist James Hutton publicly reads an abstract of his theory of uniformitarianism for the first time at a meeting of

    Geologist James Hutton publicly reads an abstract of his theory of uniformitarianism for the first time at a meeting of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

  5. US Congress unanimously resolves to name the US currency the "dollar" and adopts decimal coinage

    US Congress unanimously resolves to name the US currency the "dollar" and adopts decimal coinage

More from the 1780s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on March 5, 1784?
Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, (24 February 1733 – 30 June 1800) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1783 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Sydney. He held several important Cabinet posts in the second half of the 18th century. The cities of Sydney in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Sydney in New South Wales, Australia were named in his honour, in 1785 and 1788, respectively.
Why is Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, is named President of the Board of Trade. significant?
Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, (24 February 1733 – 30 June 1800) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1783 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Sydney.

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